Friends, colleagues remember Levesque

He’ll be remembered as Mayor Levesque in the history books and, if all goes according to plan, on the walls of Salem’s future senior center. But to those who knew him, he was Gentleman Jean.

Sarah Thomas

He’ll be remembered as Mayor Levesque in the history books and, if all goes according to plan, on the walls of Salem’s future senior center. But to those who knew him, he was Gentleman Jean.

“Gentleman Jean. He was a wonderful force for integrity and honesty,” said Tom Furey, who served with Levesque on the city’s charter commission. “I think anyone would love to have his legacy of public service. He did it not for the money, but for the love of the city of Salem.”

Jean Levesque, Salem’s 46th mayor, served from 1973-1983. He died Sunday at age 88 after a long illness.

Presiding over the Witch City during one of its most economically challenging periods, Levesque has been credited by many as laying the foundation for the city’s economic renaissance.

“He was a working class mayor who never forgot his roots,” Furey said. “One of the projects I was privileged to work with him on, one which helped the city, was changing to a four-year mayoral system. We campaigned for that together on the charter commission. It has allowed mayors to make tough decisions in the second year of their terms, which has been crucial.”

In addition to his public service, Levesque was also remembered as being justly proud of his military service and his Franco-American heritage. He was described as being accessible and warm with everyone he knew.

“He had an unofficial office down at Red’s Sandwich Shop. People would come in and he always had a table, and they would tell him their thoughts or problems,” Furey said. “He would always look you right in the eye and listen sincerely. He was a gem of Salem.”

Levesque never attended college, and came to public service from a background in construction. That occasionally put him at odds with members of the City Council during his term as mayor, a fact remembered by Stephen Lovely.

“I met Jean at a barbeque, which I was attending while I was working on a campaign. It was him that encouraged me to run for public office myself,” said Lovely, a former City Council member and husband of state Sen. Joan Lovely. “When I was elected, people called us the Kiddie Council. We were all young college graduates, and none of us were homeowners. I think we exasperated him at times.”

Lovely said that Levesque taught him that he needed to see things from others’ perspectives.

“He taught us to be idealistic but also practical. He had come up the hard way, through the struggles he faced in the military, and he always made sure that we lived within our means so that the people who had worked so hard to buy their homes wouldn’t have to foot the bill.”

Lovely said that it was still difficult to speak about Levesque’s death.

“He put the down payment on the city we have today. It was small splashes, but it turned the ship around,” Lovely said. “But he also was an extremely gentle man, full of congeniality and good spirits. This was really sad news to hear.”